


What's in a Name?

by Gabberwocky



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, lea's name, ventus returns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 15:38:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14918105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabberwocky/pseuds/Gabberwocky
Summary: Everyone calls him Axel. Well, almost everybody.





	What's in a Name?

“Axel, how was training?”

“Hey, Axel!”

“Axel!”

“Axel! You’re alive!”

Lea sighed. He had his heart back; he was a Somebody, but everyone still called him Axel.

He understood it, he did. But he was _Lea_ , Axel was someone in his past never wanted to be again. Axel did horrible, awful things. He hurt people, he killed people, but that wasn’t Lea. When he had his heart, he wasn’t like that.

But he was tired of correcting people, and he’d been Axel for so long it was just normal to answer to so…

“Hey, Axel!”

“Hey. Liking the look! Cut your hair, too.”

Kairi settled on the rock next to him. “Mhm.” She looked at the dawn. “What’re you thinking about?”

“How Sora’s doing.” Lea answered. “I know Roxas and I were close when we were in the Organization… and to anyone else we probably seemed like friends… but I didn’t have a heart then. So I can’t tell if I miss him… or just…”

“Want to see what could have been?”

“Yeah.”

“You guys were almost friends once, right? You’ll be friends again.”

Lea leaned back slightly. “Right.”

They gazed at the sunrise for a while before Lea spoke again.

“And sometimes I wonder if it’s Roxas I’m missing.”

“Axel?”

“Before, when I was younger, I lived in Radiant Garden. I met someone there- a boy named Ventus.”

“What does that have to do with Roxas?”

“Roxas looks just like Ventus.”

Kairi blinked at him. “But I thought Roxas was Sora’s Nobody. Shouldn’t he look like Sora?”

Lea shrugged. “I guess. I think we all looked like ourselves during that time. It was only Roxas who didn’t.”

“Weird. So you think that you miss Ventus right now? Not Roxas?”

“Yeah. It’s just… feelings are hard.”

Kairi giggled. “Yes, yes they are.”

“Oh shut up.”

She laughed again before turning to him. “Can’t you be missing both of them?”

Lea chuckled. “I guess I can.”

They kept chatting for a while as the sun rose until it was high in the sky.  

“When was Sora getting back?”

“He’s supposed to be checking in soon. Why?”

Lea shrugged. “I just have this-“

“Lea?”

He started, but grinned as he turned around. “Finally remember my name, Sora…” His voice trailed off as his gaze fell on spikey blond hair instead of Sora’s brown.

The boy smiled. “Not Sora. Well, not anymore.”

Lea choked a little. “Ventus?!”

He nodded. “Got it memorized?”

Lea laughed, tripping over himself to hug Ventus. “Oh my god you’re here. Where were you?”

Ventus smiled sheepishly. “It’s… a long story.”

“Did you ever find your friends? Aqua and Terra, right?”

Ventus nodded. “Yeah. But we got separated again… and I think I got really hurt…”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently my body’s been asleep this whole time. My heart’s been healing with Sora.”

“What?”

“My heart was in Sora’s heart. I think? I’m not sure, Yen Sid didn’t explain it well.”

Kairi came around Lea. “Axel? Who’s this?”

“Axel?”

Lea ruffled Ventus’s hair. “Another long story. But Ventus, this is Kairi, one of Sora’s best friends. Kairi, this is Ventus.”

Kairi smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

Ventus nodded. “Same. Why did you call him Axel?”

“Oh… that’s the name he used when I met him. He was… different then. I haven’t gotten used to calling him Lea and I… forgot, actually.”

Ventus looked up at Lea. “Which do you prefer, Lea?”

Lea hummed. “You know… I’ll answer to either name. It’s fine, whichever you use. What’s in a name, anyway?”


End file.
